The little (and completely unbiased) ABC of hospitality

Freya Moss, July 21, 2017 4:37 pm

Easy ABC of Hospitality

Everything there is to say about hospitality from A to Z. Okay, maybe not everything, but it’s a pretty good start.

A for Alcohol

One of the best things about working in hospitality is that it’ll make you a connoisseur of all things alcoholic. Great for when you host a party and want to impress with your cocktail skills, or when you’re on a sophisticated night out, and can wow everyone with your wine knowledge. Mhmm – fruity with a hint of hay.

B for Bar

Definitely better to be behind than standing in front of – unless you’re one of those people who magically gets straight to the front of the queue. Plus, you know, bartenders are cool.

C for Coffee

Coffee is your friend, coffee is your first aid, coffee doesn’t ask silly questions, coffee understands. That feeling when you start your day for a 7am breakfast shift only to hurriedly change outfits on the tube to make your second shift of the day, finishing after midnight. Thank you coffee for keeping us going.

D for Drama

Nothing like a good bit of drama on the night. Maybe there’s a nagging customer, complaining where there is nothing to complain about, or a stressed manager, who is giving everyone a bit of a hard time. Fortunately, with Rota you don’t ever have to go back if you didn’t like working at a place.

E for Experience

Hospitality teaches you for life. Contrary to what many believe, it’s not just about holding a tray and pouring drinks. Hospitality teaches you customer relationship skills and cash handling, trains your memory (try remembering the food order of a party of 10!) and shows you how to deal with supervisors and managers. It’s also a great way to demonstrate team work for your CV, and learn how to network in general. Not to mention it gives you some toned arms (also see G for gym).

F for Food

Everyone who has been a food waiter before will have experienced legitimate food envy when dishing out these delicious 5* meals to guests. Pro tip: Make good friends with the people in the kitchen and they might feed you.

G for Gym

Let’s be honest. In hospitality, you’re on your feet all day and you carry lots of heavy s#!t around all day. Who needs a gym anymore? We are summer body ready.

H for Hotels

And not only hotels, but restaurants, pubs and events, too! Few industries are as varied as hospitality. And Rota allows you to take advantage of them all. Torn between a fancy 5* hotel and a cool burger pop-up? With us you can have a little bit of everything.

I for Ironing

Another bonus of working in hospitality – you’ll be an ace at ironing your shirts from now on! And to keep clothes youthful aka wrinkle-free, take a few tips from the pros:

Not one, not two, but three ways to transport your shirt wrinkle-free!

J for Jigger

Yup. We’ve got our own lingo and we love it.

K for Kitchen portering

Chances are a lot of us have started out in the industry helping out behind the scenes, cutting up veg and cleaning dishes in one of many kitchen and catering roles. And it is bloody hard work. So, shout out to all KPs out there, you guys rock!

L for Leadership

Hospitality is a great way to acquire that all-important leadership experience every role requires these days. Managing a large team of people at a banquet or VIP event is a challenging, but rewarding experience, and will definitely come in handy at one point. We’re sure our shift leaders at Rota will agree.

M for Multitasking

Ever tried balancing a tray, looking where you’re going, smiling at a guest while making polite conversation and remembering that drinks order thrown at you from the left? Yes, it is safe to say we can multitask – move over project managers of the world!

N for Night-tubes

The single best thing to happen to hospitality workers in London in a while (apart from Rota, obviously). No more expensive taxis after a 2am finish, instead chill on the tube. Chances are you’ll make some friends along the way, too.

O for Opportunities

No matter where you go, which city, which country, which continent – having a solid level of hospitality skill secures you jobs everywhere in the world. So no matter whether life brings you to Aberdeen or Australia next – you can rest easy knowing that you’ll find a job easily and have no problem funding your life.

P for Pay

Let’s be honest – it’s never been that great. And considering you work very hard, that is everything but fair. Which is why at Rota we pay you better for it. You’re worth it.

Q for Questions

…are always a good thing. If you don’t know where something is, or what else you can help with: ask. Managers and co-workers alike will very much appreciate your inquisitiveness and reward you with eternal gratitude – or a 6 star rating.

R for Rota

What shall we say – what’s not to love about choosing when and where you work, cherrypicking the shifts you like? If you aren’t part of the revolution that’s sweeping hospitality yet, we can only recommend you check it out here (naturally completely unbiased).

S for Spirit

The big not-so-secret secret to succeeding in hospitality – a good spirit. And apart from the alcohol, a good attitude helps as well. In fact, while skills can be learned and improved, a good attitude is something you’re born with. And take it from us – it is the single most important thing to get right.

T for Team

No man is an island, which is why it is so important to have good teammates – especially when s#!t hits the fan. What’s even better, team mates soon become friends in the tightly knit world of hospitality. And if you all finish at the same time, what better reason to go out for a drink than to celebrate a successful shift you’ve aced together.

U for Uniform

You know you work in hospitality when half your wardrobe is filled with white and black shirts, and more waistcoats than the average human could imagine. All impeccably ironed of course.

V for VIP

When in hospitality, you meet all sorts of people – it is a great place to network. You also happen to come across individuals you would have otherwise not met – just ask the Members who attended the recent shift at Chatsworth House, or have worked at Manchester Arena.

W for Weekends

Traditionally, when you take on a waiting role that meant to kiss goodbye to weekends and nights out with friends as you’d be working except for once in a blue moon. Which is when everyone else is by definition too busy to hang out. Good thing that since the introduction of apps like Rota, you no longer have to sacrifice your precious weekends.

X for Xenophobia

… which we mention here because we love how it is not present in hospitality. There are few industries out there where such a variety of cultures come and work together. And we love it, Brexit can suck it.

Y for Yikes

Part of the fun in hospitality are all the bloopers, mishaps and accidents that are bound to happen sooner or later during your hospitality career. Good thing is, they make fantastic stories to share over a beer a bit further down the track, you know, once the embarrassment has died down. Remember that time when you poured that red wine over the lady in white…?

Z for Zzzzs

After a long day of being on your feet all the time, at least sleep should never be a problem that night.